CIA girls beat Ninilchik

CIA boys also handle Wolverines in Cook Inlet Classic

Posted: Sunday, December 23, 2007

By MATTHEW CARROLLPeninsula Clarion

"That's the only time I remember," she said.

Saturday will probably be embedded in her thoughts for a long time then.

The quick and slender senior poured in a game-high 20 points and helped rally Cook Inlet Academy to a wild 37-34 win over the Wolverines in the Cook Inlet Classic, the Eagles' first victory over Ninilchik since the 1980s.

"It was really cool. All of us were really pumped for the game," Forsi explained. "We knew they lost a lot of their main players from last year. So, we were all just like, 'Come on. This is our time. If we're going to do it, this is the year.'

Forsi was only aware of her own experiences, having never been able to top the Wolverines in her four-year varsity career.

When informed it had been more than 20 years, a well-deserved smile crept over her face.

"I didn't know it had been that long," she said. "I just knew it had been as long as I can remember. But that's kind of sweet."

Especially the way it played out.

Leading by as many as 10 points near the midway point of the third quarter, the Eagles (3-5) had trouble handling the ball due to a swarming Ninilchik defense, hitting just 2-of-13 shots in the third while maintaining just a three-point edge entering the fourth.

That's when things got interesting.

A CIA turnover off the initial inbounds pass to begin the final frame led to a Lindsey Rohr (12 points) bucket and the Wolverines promptly took their first lead of the contest a minute later when Rohr canned another jumper.

After a back-and-forth three minutes left the Eagles clinging to a one-point lead with 2:25 to play, Ninilchik's Heidi Skjold (11 points) sank an over-the-head hook shot in the lane for a 30-29 Wolverines lead.

"She's capable of doing stuff like that. Her shooting's going to come around and that's really going to help us," said Ninilchik coach Dan Leman. "It was pretty cool."

The lead was short-lived, though, as Forsi who had been playing with four fouls for most of the fourth quarter canned a baseline jumper with a hand in her face and added a running floater 30 seconds later in staking her team to a 33-30 advantage.

"Brooke is an excellent player and very skilled ... It sometimes takes two guys to stop her," Leman said. "We were just trying to get the ball out of her hands or at least keep her from shooting so much. It worked at times, but other times it didn't work."

Forsi's crucial shots, however, made up for at least three fourth-quarter turnovers by the senior.

"I brought down the ball like four times in a row and just threw it away," Forsi said. "I was just like, 'OK. I have to get back on top mentally,' because I was stressing out. But we pulled it off."

Ninilchik's Ashley Bartolowits made it a one-point game again when she scored with 49 seconds to play, but CIA's Chelsea Hardcastle (nine points) and Forsi both sank a pair of free throws in sealing the monumental win and a 2-2 tournament record.

"We work on that all the time," said Eagles coach and Brooke's father, Ted Forsi. "That's where close games are won, at the free throw line."

Trailing 15-7 at halftime, Ninilchik's tenacious defense was the difference in the comeback, forcing 13 second-half turnovers by the Eagles and 24 overall in the game.

"We're not trying to be the best in December. We want to be the best in March and that really is our goal," Leman explained. "This year's team, we've got some great kids, and this is their team. This is this year. This isn't last year. This isn't 10 years ago. They're starting to realize that they can do some good things."

While Ted Forsi said the win was nice, adding it's still early in the season and Ninilchik will almost certainly improve, his daughter believes the win bolsters the Eagles' confidence heading into January.

"They're like the toughest team in our region. So, now we know we can beat them," she said. "I think going into the regions it will just give us a heads up to how they're going to be this year and it will be good."

Cook Inlet boys 82, Ninilchik 58

The Eagles outscored the Wolverines 31-11 in the fourth quarter and used 10 3-pointers in earning a big win on Saturday.

Austin Vanderford, playing in his first game of the tournament after competing in a wrestling tourney in Reno, Nev., scored 24 points in his return while Tyler Sutherland and Ross Skjold added 12 points each.

New Stuyahok boys 61, Nikolaevsk 42

Evan Petla notched a game-high 20 points, Erick Hanson added 17 and Peter Walcott chipped in 12 in leading New Stuyahok to a relatively easy win on Saturday in the Cook Inlet Classic.

New Stuyahok, which canned six 3-pointers, five coming from Hanson, led 38-17 at the break and never looked back.

Jonah Yakunin paced Nikolaevsk with 13 points.

Togiak girls 53, Nikolaevsk 37

Keilyn Carlos turned in a game-high 21 points and Clara Gosuk and Whitney Carlos chipped in 12 apiece in leading the Huskies past the Warriors on Saturday.

Efrosia Yakunin led Nikolaevsk, which was 15-of-21 from the charity stripe, with 15 points, while teammate Cassie Fefelov added 10.

Skyview JV girls 44, Wasilla Lake 32

Despite a meager 4-of-15 performance from the line, the Panthers' JV team edged Wasilla Lake in the Cook Inlet Classic on Saturday.

Brooke Forsi scored a team-high 16 points and Chelsea Hardcastle added 12 for CIA, which was outscored 27-18 in the first half and couldn't muster a comeback.

Nikolaevsk girls 43, Wasilla Lake 39

Efrosia Yakunin turned in 20 points, Cassie Fefelov added 13 and Sira Fefelov collected 10 in helping the Warriors overcome a 9-of-24 performance from the foul line to claim a tight win on Friday in the Classic.

Dahlia Wassillie scored 15 points and Whitney Carlos collected 14 as the Huskies outscored the Wolverines by nine in the first half and never trailed the rest of the way on Friday.

Also for Togiak, which was just 12-of-28 from the foul line, Keilyn Carlos had 10 points.

Ninilchik, which had just one player reach double digits in Lindsey Rohr (10 points), fared just as poorly from the charity stripe, converting on just 8-of-27 free throws. Heidi Skjold added nine points for the Wolverines.